summer 2009 collection reviews

Guerlain’s Summer Splash Collection is the latest offering from the ultra luxe brand. It features several products from waterproof mascara to eyeshadows to a quad to loose powder kohl. I wasn’t able to try everything out, but I did get to try several items, and likely the more “hot ticket” items, so hopefully it’ll help you when you’re trying to make your hauling decisions!

Perles des Mers Eyeshadow Palette ($58.00) is the item that caught my attention the most when I first learned about the collection. It’s not quite as head-turning in person (it’s just not quite as bright), but it’s still a good interpretation of what it is. I’d say the only color that wasn’t quite as bright as I expected was the teal shade. The lightest shade is a soft white with a pink undertone. The second lightest color is a frosty, white-peach shade. The third lightest color is a dirty bronzy-gold shade, kind of like a light antique gold. The final shade is the teal color, which is a teal-blue with green sheen/overlay. It’s an interesting mix of teal and noticeable green. I think these shades work well together, and I like that there are some lighter shades to mix with the teal. I’m not 100% sold on the quad yet, but I think it’s definitely worth taking a peek at.

Guerlain’s Terracotta Collection was an early summer sleeper collection. It consisted of products from bronzing powders to lip balms to mineral eyeshadows. Here’s a review of several of the products from the collection!

Paradise Sand and Jungle Dust Mineral Eyeshadows ($35.00 each) are loose, mineral eyeshadows kept in a convenient package. You twist the top off, and when you pull it out, there’s a wand attached to it, and it is the wand that picks up the color. This packaging makes it so I don’t get a big puff of mineral makeup all over my sink counter, for which I am quite happy!

I absolutely LOVED the Gloss Cashmere Velvet Matte Glosses ($28.00 each). They came in Rose Pondichery, Beige Bengali, and Rouge Sultan. These are really the stand out products from the launch. Rose Pondichery is a rosey-beige; Beige Bengali is a deeper brownish-beige shade; and Rouge Sultan is an unforgivably scarlet red.

I did also try High Shine Soothing Lip Balm ($30.00 each) in Coeur Caramel and Cocoa Love. Both shades are extremely sheer, but they are emollient and hydrating on lips. I can’t say that they’re worth $30 a pop, but they’re nice if you’ve got the money to spend. I’d much rather put my budget towards the glosses from this launch!

Urban Decay Get Baked Eye Kit ($28.00) includes Baked, Half Baked, Twice Baked, and Flipside eyeshadows, along with a travel-sized 24/7 Eye Pencil in Bourbon. It also comes with a mini Sin primer potion.

Baked is a stunning shade of ultra pigmented, deep bronze. Half Baked is a softer, more golden-toned bronze shimmer shade. Twice Baked is a dark, chocolatey brown with subtle gold shimmer. Flipside is a bluish-teal with blue-green shimmer. I love the Baked shades, because they’re really rich in color and go on so smoothly. I just see these being stunning in neutral looks, especially during the summer. Flipside is a bluer version of MAC Shimmermoss, and it is a welcome addition in my collection!

I already have Bourbon and Sin in full-size, and I do like both. LOVE Bourbon, but I love all of the 24/7 Pencils. I like Sin for a shimmery base — I do, personally, like it more than regular UDPP.

Get Baked is a great summer palette with a good price to boot. Check out your local Sephora or Urban Decay counter to see for youself!

Dior’s Cristal Collection started popping at counters nationwide in the past week or so, and sure enough, my counter had all of the goodness on display last week, too! I already shared my excitement over Pop Diamond, so I’ll continue on with a full review of Dior’s newest collection.

Electric Lights Eyeshadow Quint ($56.00) is a bold combination of blue, teal, violet, and silvers. The palette will likely catch your eye, even if you’re not known to head in Dior’s direction. Like Chanel, not all Dior quints are made equal, but the overall consensus is they’re smooth, blendable shadows that feel ultra soft. All five shades are stunning, ranging from a soft, blue-teal to a duochrome silvery-blue to a bright, medium silver to a delicious sky blue to the stunning deep violet in the center. Really, there was just no way for me to walk away without buying it on sight!

The Bronze Couture Palette ($80.00) is a pricey little travel-sized case filled with a few Dior products. While everything is pretty to the eye, there’s nothing in this palette that would make me drop the amount of cash they’re asking. If I were you, I’d wait around and pick this up when the price drops–which Dior has been doing with the past few star products (e.g. Lady Dior)–if this is on your list.

High Shine Lipsticks ($26.00 each) were available in Artist Pink and Designer Coral at my local Nordstrom. (Dior’s summer collection selection varies from door to door, with some products being Sephora exclusives.) Artist Pink was a sheer, shimmery/glossy medium pink with warm undertones. Designer Coral is a sheer, coral-pink color with lots of gloss. Both are sheer, as the formula is designed to be.

Ultra Gloss Reflect ($25.50 each) was available in Vinyl Coral, which is a sheer more pink than coral gloss with tiny pink microglitter. Very summery, kind of like a watermelon-y shade. DiorKiss Gloss ($20.00) was available in Grenadine Syrup at my Nordies, and it is a semi-sheer, thick coral-orange gloss. It’s in a squeeze tube, and the texture felt nonsticky to me. While not included in a swatch (I forgot to take a photo before it chipped), Vernis ($20.00) in Bubble Gum is EXACTLY the same shade as Grenadine Syrup, seriously. I also tried Lip Glow Reviver Balm($28.00) on the back of my hand, but since it’s a lip balm, it was virtually sheer. It kind of added a little sheen to my skin, but that was all I could see.

OVERALL, Dior’s Cristal Collection offers a lot of fun, summer-y shades of lipgloss and lipsticks paired with an outstanding shade of skin highlighter/blusher as well as a lovely cool-toned quint. I loved the new quint and skin shimmer the most (obviously!), and I would recommend taking a peek at both of those if you’re able to!

Dior Rose Brazilia Bronze Harmony Blush ($42.00) is new for summer from Dior. Rose Brazilia accompanied Coral Riviera, which I absolutely loved. Rose Brazilia is rosy shade of blush with a touch of peachiness to it. It has more warmth than I expected, but I’m quite content with the results! The shimmery gold flecks are an overlay, so they do not go through the blush itself. I do feel the blush has a bit of sheen/tiny shimmer throughout, so it isn’t a matte blush–just not filled with lots of shimmery bits. This is a great blush for everyday, natural looks, and just an overall nice piece to add to my blush collection.

I tried PK 325N, which is a light pink gloss with blue-purple undertones. It applied fairly sheerly, but it still gave my lips a nice pink tint along with fuchsia sparkles that kind of cast a blue-violet shade. The shimmer is soft and fine, so it doesn’t feel like chunky glitter in the least.

I also tested out PK 369, which is a bright pink lipstick with blue undertones. This is an opaque lip color that packs quite a bit of pink punch. It’s definitely not for anyone afraid of rockin’ a bold lip! It feels creamy, and the finish is a glossy sheen that works well when worn alone.

Combining the two created a very glossy, fuchsia-ish pout. You could see a lot of the purplish shimmer from the gloss bring o the brightness in the lipstick. The two worked well together, though the combination is extremely bright!